This invention relates to a flow control unit of the roller clamp type for accurately controlling the flow of fluid through a length of flexible tubing. More particularly, this invention relates to a combined clamp and flow control member wherein a groove is provided in the roller and which compresses the tubing against the floor of the clamp in an incremental manner through the variable dimension of the groove. The roller has a flat or interrupted portion which acts in conjunction with the surface in the floor to orientate the groove in the roller for movement over the tubing.
Clamping devices or flow control units of the type concerned with in this invention are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,893,468 and 4,047,694. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,468 a roller clamp is described which has a grooved surface for incrementally clamping a length of flexible tubing to control the flow rate as well as to stop the flow therein. However, no means are provided in this particular patent so that the groove in the roller can be properly orientated in conjunction with the tubing for its path of travel through the clamp body. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,773 a grooved surface is disclosed in a cam member for incrementally clamping flexible tubing. U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,694 does not describe a roller with any groove therein. However, it is referred to for showing laterally recessed areas in the roller surface to accommodate the tubing as it is compressed. The prior art nowhere teaches a flow control device wherein a grooved roller is properly orientated with respect to the tubing so that it will properly perform its function in incrementally pressing the tubing as it travels from one end of the clamp body to the other. Neither is there available a roller clamp with a varying groove in the surface of the roller which will accurately and incrementally compress the tubing within the precise specifications required for use in conjunction with an I.V. administration set.
It is an advantage of the present invention to provide a combined clamp and flow control member which can precisely control the flow of fluids through flexible I.V. tubing and can do so by means of a groove of progressively varying depth and width which is provided in the roller body. Other advantages are a flow control unit which is disposable, has means for orientating the groove in the roller with the clamp body, will position the tubing in the clamp body for controlled compression thereof, can be repositioned anywhere along the tubing, and can be fabricated without expensive molding procedures.